Thoughts in the waiting room of old age. 3rd in First & Second Chance Poetry Contest 2023. |
Fragments of Immortality Yes, even here, camped upon the threshold of death, when the call may come at any moment and the bags are packed in readiness, there are moments when I forget the certainty of imminent departure and life shines upon me as it did when I was young. Breath was not so much guaranteed as taken for granted, never a thought given to its proven and certain cessation for dying was something others did, not for me, no, never for me. For the young, death is no more than a concept, a theorem as known and definite as the eternity of life, unconsidered, just accepted, not inspected nor fingered and nestled within as I do now, growing accustomed to its looming shadow, the welcoming depths that promise escape from a world grown cold. Yet still I catch myself at times behaving, thinking, without awareness of time being short and readiness required, as though once again released into a limitless future, almost as though this too is a preparation for beyond, an intimation of life forever. Today at least, it’s good to say that, one way or another, life smiles on me with blessèd carelessness. Line Count: 31 Free Verse After long internal debate, I have decided to enter this in the Shadows and Light Poetry Contest, closing date July 14, 2020. Contests are the best way to have at least a few people read your stuff and this one seems a bit slow in getting off the ground. I know that winning last month may decrease my chances this month (variety is the spice of life, after all) but the increased readership decides it for me. Writing is about communication, after all. |